10 reasons to drink tea
The type of tea you drink can make a difference.
All non-herbal teas are made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Camellia Sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. The name Sinensis means "from China" in Latin. Brought by the East India company from China to be grown in India, tea grown there is known as the Camellia Assamica variety.
How and when the leaves are processed determines whether you end up with a white, yellow, green, black or oolong or pu-er tea.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of tea:
1. Tea contains antioxidants
Antioxidants work to prevent the body’s version of rust and thus help to keep us young and protect us from damage from pollution.
The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a range of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers.
According to the Harvard Women's Health Watch, a division of Harvard Medical School, the antioxidants in tea, called flavonoids, are largely responsible for tea's health-boosting properties.
A group of flavonoids called catechins help prevent oxidative damage to cells and give tea the power to reduce a person's risk of several types of cancer, including breast, bladder, skin, lung, colon and oesophageal.
Catechins are more effective than either vitamin A or C at halting the damage of oxidation, a by-product of normal metabolism.
2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee
Although different teas have varying levels of caffeine, teas generally have less than 50 percent of what typically is found in coffee. That means you can consume it without those pesky effects on your nervous system.
3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke
Drinking tea could help reduce the risk of heart attack and also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
The Harvard Women's Health Watch states that the antioxidants in green, black and oolong teas help block the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol and improve artery function. High LDL and low HDL are both risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.
4. Tea can boost exercise endurance
Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance.
According to a 2004 study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine," habitual consumption of green and oolong tea significantly reduced the risk of hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a risk factor for strokes and heart attacks.
5. Tea helps fight free radicals
Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (“ORAC” to its friends), which is a fancy way of saying that it helps destroy free radicals (which can damage DNA) in the body. While our bodies are designed to fight free radicals on their own, they’re not 100 percent effective — and since damage from these radical oxygen ninjas has been linked to cancer, heart disease and neurological degeneration, we’ll take all the help we can get.
6. Tea could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes.
Studies suggest that compounds in green tea could help diabetics better process sugars.
A 2013 research review published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal outlined the potential benefits of tea when it comes to diabetes as well as obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes. It highlighted a Japanese study that found that people who drank 6 or more cups of green tea a day were 33 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than were people who drank less than a cup of green tea a week.
7. Tea might be an effective agent in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases, especially degenerative diseases (think Alzheimer’s)
While many factors influence brain health, polyphenols in green tea may help maintain the parts of the brain that regulate learning and memory.
In a breakthrough study, scientists found evidence that using tea for Alzheimer’s could drastically lower your risk of developing the condition. It’s true, sipping tea could help ward off Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2017 study out of the National University of Singapore.
8. Tea is calorie free
It’s a great no calorie alternative to water. It provides so many options for flavour and versatility. You can have it hot or cold. That means you’re able to hydrate with something other than water alone.
9. Tea may keep your smile bright
Japanese researchers have found that tea can decrease tooth loss. It changes the pH in your mouth when you drink it and that may be what prevents cavities. Beyond that, tea, unlike many other beverages does not appear to erode tooth enamel.
10. Tea can help the body recover from radiation and provide protection from ultraviolet rays
Tea helps protect against cellular degeneration upon exposure to radiation and can help skin bounce back post exposure.
We know it’s important to limit exposure to UV rays, and we all know what it’s like to feel the burn. The good news is that green tea may act as a back-up sunscreen.
According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, supplementing with green tea catechins – the active antioxidant compound in green tea – can help make your more resistant to ultraviolet radiation and therefore premature skin ageing.
Here's an extra one for you....
11. Drinking tea is linked to a lower risk of glaucoma
Writing in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers in the US describe a link to hot tea in general, with those consuming more than six cups of the brew a week less likely to have the condition even when factors such as age, body mass index, smoking and diabetes were taken into account.
Overall, the chance of having glaucoma – compared with not having it – was 74% lower among those who drank hot tea in such quantities.“In summary, individuals who consumed hot tea were less likely to have a diagnosis of glaucoma compared with those who did not consume hot tea,” the authors write.
So go ahead, make a cuppa today.
